News Headlines:

India hands over slain soldier's body to Pak in Laam sector

16 Feb 2013, 1149 hrs IST, AGENCIES

Indian
authorities on Fri (Feb 15) handed over to Pakistan Army the body of its soldier
who intruded into the Indian territory and was killed in the Naushera sector
along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir.

The body was handed
over with military honours at a commander-level flag meeting at a Post in Laam
belt around 1750 hours by an Indian Army team led by Col Sanjeev Verma of 5 Sikh
LI, a senior police officer told PTI.

The Indian Army had earlier
handed over the body of the deceased Pak soldier to the Jammu and Kashmir Police
at police station Naroka.

"The solider's identity has been
established as Mohammad Ikhlak of 60 Punjab Regiment," the police officer
said.

The latest incident of ceasefire violation came a month after
Pakistani troops entered the Indian territory and killed two Indian soldiers and
beheaded one of them.

"On February 14, at approximately 1500 hours,
Indian troops at Laam post in Rajouri sector observed suspicious movement along
the Indian side of LoC," Defence PRO S N Acharya said.

On being
challenged by a patrol party, the infiltrator opened indiscriminate fire
injuring two jawans, he said, adding that in the ensuing encounter the
infiltrator was killed and one AK-56 rifle and some ammunition were
recovered.

He said the Pakistan DGMO made an unscheduled call to his
Indian counterpart requesting for the soldier's body. Acceding to the request,
the body was returned to Pakistan Army in the same sector in the evening with
military honours, Acharya said.

Pakistani troops violated the
ceasefire by resorting to heavy unprovoked automatic fire on Indian posts in
Mendhar Sector on Feb 14. But, there was no ceasefire violation from across the
border today, he said.